Banff

The Towns of Banff and Canmore have applied for a provincial grant to hire a shared position to help develop a regional emergency management plan

“Unfortunately, the high volume of traffic created an unsafe environment where a number of vehicles were parked illegally or blocking a lane."

Banff council won't give extra funding to allow bylaw officers to work for hours per week, saying the department would have to find it within the existing budget or increase revenues from fines

Banff may spend up to $81,000 in its budget next year to be as prepared as possible in the event of a wildfire. “We’re concerned because we see headlines from around the world about wildfires, and we want that not to happen here," said Banff Councillor Chip Olver.

According to the avalanche bulletin put out by Parks Canada, moderate to strong winds and new snow over the next couple days will build wind slabs in lee areas at treeline and above – and if triggered, the wind slabs may step down to deeper layers and result in large slides

“The participation level it’s amazing ... A lot of new people [came out] including a young family in Canmore that came out for the first time.”

The Town of Banff has added a new tier to its Banff Access Program to help residents who struggle with the high cost of living in the tourist town

“If someone has an issue with the provincial government and the decisions they make around the education levy, my suggestion is they contact their MLA. That is much more under her purview," said Banff Coun. Grant Canning.

There were many headlines in Banff for 2019, from avalanche deaths and lightning strikes to bear and wolf attacks

“Distinguishing between slopes that have already slid and those that are the tipping point will be very difficult,” said Ilya Storm, forecast program supervisor for Avalanche Canada. “This, combined with clearing weather during a holiday week, has us very concerned for backcountry users.”